Absorbent articles such as diapers, training pants, incontinence products, feminine hygiene products, swim undergarments, and the like conventionally include a liquid permeable body-side liner, a liquid impermeable outercover, and an absorbent core located between the outercover and the liner for taking in and retaining liquids (e.g., urine) exuded by the wearer.
Some absorbent articles further include various sensing circuits and signaling devices that produce a visual and/or an audible alarm when certain conditions are detected. Generally, the sensing circuits have been located within the absorbent articles and the signaling devices have been externally located on the absorbent article.
For proper operation, the signaling devices need to be electrically connected with the sensing circuits but typically one or more non-conductive layers are interposed therebetween. As such, various solutions have been proposed for reliably creating an electrical connection between the internal sensing circuit and the external signaling device. For example, it has been suggested that the non-conductive layer be slit, cut, or apertured to create openings to provide access to the sensing circuit lying below the non-conductive layer. However, these systems may be less desirable because precise registration control may be required to ensure that the openings are aligned with the conductive elements. This may complicate converting processes and increase cost and delay. Furthermore, these systems may be less desirable because the openings in the outercover and/or liner may increase the possibility of body fluid escaping from the absorbent article.
Other methods of creating an electrical connection have included signaling devices with conductive contacts adapted to pierce the non-conductive layers to contact the conductive sensing circuit located inside the absorbent articles. However, these systems may not result in reliable connections because the intervening layers of nonconductive materials may inhibit continuity between the signaling device and the conductive sensing circuit. Additionally, these systems also may increase the possibility of body fluid escaping from the absorbent article particularly if several penetration attempts are made before a proper connection is formed. Finally, these systems may require the signaling device to be in contact with the body of the wearer which may be less comfortable than a signaling device located only on a garment side of the absorbent article.
Therefore, there remains a need for an absorbent article that is adapted to provide a reliable connection between an internally positioned sensing circuit and an externally mounted signaling device while minimizing the shortcomings of the prior art.